Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr played four seasons under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, and he remains close with the Spurs legend to this day.

Kerr passed on the opportunity to address Erin Popovich’s death after it was announced on Wednesday, but he spoke eloquently and humorously on Thursday at Warriors’ shootaround ahead of Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

“Devastating news,” Kerr said. “Erin has been courageously fighting a battle with some health issues over the last few years, but this was shocking. It was unexpected. Our whole organization, our players, our coaches, we’re all thinking about Erin and Pop.

“Pop might be the most admired man in the NBA for many reasons, and there’s an outpouring of support and grief from everybody around the league,” Kerr said. “It hits home especially for those of us who were part of this Spurs family.”

Steve Kerr reflects on the passing of Erin Popovich, tells of how when Pop traded Kerr to Portland back in the day, he told him Erin would be mad at him for doing it pic.twitter.com/iYAt1xaQCV

Kerr won two of his championships in San Antonio (1999, 2003) but Popovich traded Kerr ahead of the 2001-2002 season. While in San Antonio, Kerr said he and his wife, Margot, were close with the Popovichs.

“Erin was sort of the balance that Pop needed. I still remember when he traded me to Portland in 2001. He called me up to tell me the news, he said, ‘I don’t think I can go home because Erin’s going to be so mad at me for trading you.’”